We tried to stop it here at DU - Here in DC, we had 100,000 march more than once, only to be buried on page 7 of the Washington Post, while a few years later two dozen "tea partiers" in lawn chairs were deemed front page news.

We knew the war was wrong, and that it would cost untold American and Iraqi lives and untold billions of dollars, while Saddam was contained and posed no real threat.

We also questioned the "weapons of mass destruction," but they trotted out Colin Powell for their credibility, to his eternal regret. And thank you, Condi and "Dick," for that mushroom cloud bullshit. Hope you're both enjoying your wealth and undeserved prestige.

News bulletin: Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, as Richard Clarke made it so very clear in his book that came out soon after the invasion. His was a voice in the wilderness. As was Joe Wilson, and his wife, Valerie Plame, who saw her career destroyed by the venal Cheney/Libby.

And then there was the venerable New York Times, that liberal bastion, which printed the countless lies of Judith Miller as truth. Now she is a fixture on the DC cocktail circuit. Bet she has a lovely condo, too.

Starting to remember what we have been put through? Nothing compared to those Americans, Iraqis and others who paid the ultimate price so Kristol, Wolfowitz, Rove, North et al could advance their insatiable demand for war. And Fox News. Profit was to be pursued, and was found.

I'm old enough to have marched against the war in Vietnam. I may have been too young to be on the Pettis Bridge, but I remember Bull Connor and his hoses vividly shown on my Mom's black and white television.

We also got hosed about Iraq. I am so glad that President Obama says we will be totally out of there by Christmas. But "joy" is too strong a word, and "relief" isn't strong enough. Perhaps I will just lift a glass of eggnog a bit higher, and make a pledge.

Mom was a Rosie-the-Riveter in WWII. First woman in the U.S. to win the WPB award, and Eleanor Roosevelt flew to Detroit to present her with her award. Then, she raised two sons who turned out mor than OK. I am so proud of my younger brother, the skinny one. He is 58 now, and is a docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Zoo. He is also an accomplished and nationally recognized photographer. I went to law school at night while I was raising a family in the early '80s. And graduated with honors.

I had no Dad growing up, but Mom was tough. The best person I have ever met. Plus, Al Kaline never let me down.

Health insurance was taken away when I lost my job and became unemployed. They said I don’t qualify for the earned income deductions since I don’t work for my income, so I make too much to get Sooner care and food assistance.

She’s bruising easy, has no energy, no stamina, falling, breathless with little movement, sore muscles, cramping limbs, tired most of the time, dizzy, blurry vision and poor memory. She has terrible tummy troubles and has for years.

They never test for anything and just say she’s a faker. She eats meat and vegies. She loves salad and beef, chicken, pork. She’s not a fussy eater.

There are no hospitals that will see her since she isn’t gushing blood or have a broken bone. They treat her symptoms and tell me to take her to a primary care.

We took her to a free clinic, held once a month...there was no doctor, they were on an emergency, so the only thing we did was talked to a nurse.

The nurse thinks maybe a vitamin deficiency, charley horses affecting her arms and legs, and told her to take omeprozole OTC for her tummy and a multivitamin.

.The nurse prayed over her and said she “received” that my daughter was under attack from the occult, possibly for something she did to open the door to such an attack.

Interesting visit to say the least...we are going to try the suggested OTC meds and pray they work.

2 posted on Sunday, May 15, 2011 3:01:46 PM by GailA (2012 rally cry DEMOCRATS and RINOS are BAD for the USA!)

I've been thinking about this for some time now. I have always fought back - the assassinations and civil rights struggles in the '60s, Vietnam, the Reagan years, the war in Iraq, and on and on. But I have never seen a more bleak time as now, as all assets are concentrated in the hands of a few, unions are destroyed and it's only a matter of time until the New Deal is unraveled.

In 1973 I spent considerable time as a college student in Germany. I made very good friends there and they asked me to stay. Instead, I returned to the US to complete my degree and made a pretty good life of it. But if that situation existed now, I don't think I would return.

A bit of a break here from Libya, Japan, Scott Walker and the rest - Happy Birthday to a couple dudes who have provided us with a lot of good memories. Nobody's perfect, and neither are they, but that pales compared to the good stuff they have given us.

August 9, 1960. The words reach across the past half century and speak eloquently tonight to the "dreamers" about the next half century:

"Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor -- those who would cripple collective bargaining or prevent organization of the unorganized -- do a disservice to the cause of democracy.

Fifty years or so ago the American Labor Movement was little more than a group of dreamers, and look at it now. From coast to coast, in factories, stores, warehouse and business establishments of all kinds, industrial democracy is at work.

Employees, represented by free and democratic trade unions of their own choosing, participate actively in determining their wages, hours and working conditions. Their living standards are the highest in the world. Their job rights are protected by collective bargaining agreements. They have fringe benefits that were unheard of less than a generation ago.

Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. But their work goes beyond their own jobs, and even beyond our borders."

Our unions have fought for aid to education, for better housing, for development of our national resources, and for saving the family-sized farms. They have spoken, not for narrow self-interest, but for the public interest and for the people."

If the Lions managed to win just two games in a row — no small feat, since they hadn't done it but four times the previous nine seasons — he would hop on the PA system at Steeby Elementary in Wayland, Mich., where he was principal, and belt out the Lions fight song after school resumed from the break.

The Lions, of course, finished with a four-game winning streak, season-ending prosperity that, no doubt, would have delighted one of their biggest fans.

But Coughlin never got a chance to sing for his kids.

On Christmas morning, Coughlin went to check on his four sleeping children when he collapsed and died of a heart attack. He was 39. . .

Geez, how sad - and not really about sports, of course. That one tugs at the ol'heartstrings, and is worth a full read. His four kids are all under 12, and Christmas morning, no less. Nice pic of the family (wish I could post more than the link, but it seems protected, so just click on it):

I am extremely proud of my little brother (don't tell him), and the fact that his work is now in the Burton historical collection of the Detroit Public Library.

He's an extraordinary person, and since we are commenting on Detroit here on DU now, here's a Detroiter who loves his city and has documented that affection through extraordinary photos. I commend them to you. Please take a look: http://www.detroit-photos.com/bob_bio.php

Amazingly, I hurt more now every year. I guess it's because I have seen what this nation has become. At any rate, I was in Mrs. Burgoyne's seventh grade history class at Oakwood Junior High School in East Detroit, MI. I won't go through the details, but I remember every moment, and every detail of the next week.

It was a tough Thanksgiving. And the people that I loved then and who wept with me are now gone.

But I remain. And I remember. And quite frankly, it was bigger than 9/11, although degree doesn't matter. Thank you, Beatles, in early 1964. We needed you. Those of you old enough to remember know what I mean.

We rescued her at 10, and she's had a darned good life with us; maybe one treat too many. She's 15 now, and had the best of care. But after exhausting remedies, the vet confirmed today that there isn't more to do. Her liver and heart are both very bad, and she can't really walk much any more. Thank goodness she's not in pain. So, election evening with her tonight, and we say goodbye at the vet's in the morning.

Her name when we got her was Baby, but that was a bit much for us, so I suggested the French version, Bebe. Soon she just became the Beebs.

I've had many "pets" and done this before - and it's way better than losing them to an accident - but that never makes it easy. Anyway, if you tip a glass to the election results tonight - good or bad - take a sip for the Beebs, too.

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